Wednesday, January 26, 2011

precious_boy by K.Z. Snow

It was just an amateur porn video, like thousands of others on the Internet. Like hundreds Jonathan Wright had seen and hundreds more he'd ignored. He hadn't intended to watch it, but he gives in to his curiosity. When he sees the lithe, blond young man who's doing naughty things with a bearish, older man, he's seduced… and feels like a pervert afterward. The youth in the video seems a little too young, despite the fact he runs his own escort service. Worse yet, Jon gets the nagging feeling he's seen "Justin Time," aka precious_boy, before.

When Jon takes a chance and meets Justin in a Chicago hotel room, Jon's past, present, and possibly his future begin to converge in alarming and confusing ways. There's no escaping the resulting dilemma: Jon must decide just how involved he wants to get with a sweet kid whose life has turned sour… a decision made more complex by a surprising connection to a lover from Jon's past.

precious¬_boy is a page turning short story, and K.Z.Snow easily engages the reader with a well-written and unique plot.

Jonathan Wright is both captivated and repelled by the porn video starring Justin Time aka precious_boy. He is instantly drawn in by the young man’s blatant sexuality, but Justin’s obvious youth is what ultimately repels him as Jon becomes more and more certain that Justin is most likely underage.

His curiosity draws him back to the video where he discovers he vaguely recognizes the young man from somewhere but he is unable to pin down exactly where. When it finally dawns on Jon exactly who the young man most likely is, he sets up a meeting which in turn confirms his suspicions. Justin is Ethan who Jon knew as a child, but has not seen in over seven years.

Jon’s decision to help the young man escape a life in the porn industry has Jon confronting a lover from his long ago past, and he is forced to come to terms with his attraction to the much younger, but mature beyond his years, Ethan.

Jon, Ethan and the supporting cast are well-drawn, three-dimensional, realistic characters. Jon is twenty eight, whose disillusionment with love is illustrated by his meaningless casual one night stands. Ethan is about to turn eighteen, and while he is mature and wise beyond his years, he has the naiveté found in most young adults. I found Jon’s desire to “save” Ethan from his much older manipulative boyfriend (or more aptly, pimp) believable and touching, and his turmoil over his attraction to the much younger Ethan added a great authenticity to his character. While Ethan has a great deal of maturity, his youth and inexperience with life are apparent in his attitude that there is nothing wrong with selling his body for sex, and his belief that leaving the porn industry will be easy.

While I found precious_boy an engrossing novel, I found myself very conflicted by some plot elements. There is a connection between Ethan and Jon that I cannot reveal because it would be a major spoiler, but it plays a pivotal role in the storyline, and it is the first area of conflict for me. I also found myself greatly troubled by the age difference between Jon and Ethan. Put the two events together along with some of Jon’s actions with another character, and the result leaves me with a very uneasy feeling about Jon and Ethan’s romance. It is a testament to K.Z. Snow’s skillful writing that I was so intensely drawn into precious_boy despite my misgivings about Jon and Ethan’s relationship.

Overall, precious_boy is a compelling novel with a unique storyline and an unexpected plot twist. The protagonists are likeable and sympathetic, and K.Z. Snow is a five star author. I will definitely be reading more of this author’s work in the future.

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RATING EXPLANATION:

1 Star -- At this time, we at Whipped Cream do not post these reviews. If the book was boring, badly edited, poorly written, had little or no plot, stilted dialogue, and/or unsympathetic characters, we will decline the review.

2 Stars -- Not wonderful, but tolerable. There may be some minor editing glitches but not enough to stop you reading. Not a wall-banger, but nothing you'd re-read. This is a book you would borrow from the library - not buy- and never check out again.

3 Stars -- Good. Mostly enjoyable. You made it through and didn't consider it a waste of time or money. The story was strong enough or the conflict tight enough, so even when the book faltered, it was able to draw you back in and keep you. There's a chance you'll recommend it to a friend, but it wouldn't go on your keeper shelf.

4 Stars-- Very Good. You're glad you were the one who got to review this book. You would probably buy it and would definitely recommend it to your friends. You liked the characters and the plot. The writing style was good and the editing clean.

5 Stars -- Great! You would definitely buy this book. You would definitely recommend it to your friends. You really loved the characters and the plot and would consider looking for this authors back list or making her an autobuy. The writing and editing were superb.

WC Best Book - For a book or story that is truly exceptional. You think about it when you're not reading it. You wonder what happens to the characters when you finish. You would absolutely buy everything else this author had to offer. The highest praise - and reserved for only a few.

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